


Phantom: Ashtray

by heartforhire



Series: Phantom [1]
Category: Underswap - Alternate Universe, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Author Has Sick Sense Of Humor, Chara Is A Sweetheart, Flowey Sells Marajuana In The Flow Shop, Genderfluid Frisk, Grillster, Magical OC, Multi, Non-Binary Chara, Not A Reader-Insert, OC Is Female, Tags Will Be Added Later When My Brain Starts Working Again, Temmie Is A Dick, Underswap AU, fucked up oc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-11-04 04:34:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10983471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartforhire/pseuds/heartforhire
Summary: Body to ashes, body to Dust.Smoke to fire, smoke to flame.Nova is more than what she seems.But that's okay, because Papyrus is too.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first story here. It's not my first story, though. I know I make a lot of grammar errors, and I apologize in advance for that. Also, sorry for the short chapter.
> 
> Now, on with the story!
> 
> -Kloe

Nova gripped the edge of the sink, eyes blank as the stone cracked and fell apart under her fingers. Violently purple magic splintered the air as hairline fractures began to decorate the stone under her feet. She knew she needed to calm down, that if she kept on blowing through her magical supplies like this she would be found and thrown back into That Place, but she couldn't bring herself to care as her hands lit with purple strings.

God, she was a wreck. 

It was a wonder she even managed to get all the way out here, how she managed to destroy her own instincts for long enough to get to Mount Ebott… away from them. She knew that this was one of Murdoch's stations, and that if he found her, he would likely tie her up again with those chains that burned like lightning against her skin, but that didn't matter.

If she kept going the way she was, she was going to crash. It didn't matter how Persevering she was, she was going to break and burn in useless flames. She couldn't keep doing it, not when this kept happening, not when--

She turned her head and vomited. The bile burned as it worked its way out of her throat and Nova found herself accepting the pain, knowing that this was what she deserved, the selfish bitch she was…

It was over all too soon. Nova wiped her mouth with the torn edge of the shirt she was wearing, the thin cloth not even close to protecting her skin from the sheer cold that was North Ebott. It was cold all day, all night hear, every year around. Strangely enough, though, Middle Ebott was scorching hot, something They attributed to the magma chambers that Mount Ebott hid in its very depths. They didn't have an explanation for the absolute cold here, though. 

Nova found herself laughing through her teeth, hysterical. She didn't know what she was laughing at or why, she just was. It hurt her throat, already raw from the screaming and bile. She didn't give a shit.

They didn't have an explanation, but she did.

Glancing down at the fractures beneath her feet, Nova allowed the shimmering lines of her magic to lead the way to the nearest magical hotspot. 

Where magic was, monsters were, and mages were meant to follow.

Too bad that Barrier was in the way.

Taking a second to compose herself, Nova set the cloth she had used to wipe her mouth down and looked back at the station, now in shambles because of her magical outburst. Murdoch would know who had done this. He would know that something pushed her this far.

He would know that his duty was over, even as she etched glowing purple lines into volcanic rock with her magic.

Her lips parted, releasing a puff of white air that reminded her of the smoke she had seen so often, wafting up from the ground. No one else had seen it, so she knew immediately that she was seeing something related to magic. Murdoch had said something about feeling sparks in his fingertips, but other than that, he was ignorant. It was something more than magic, then. It was something monster.

Her boots crunched against the snow as she ran along the path her purple magic was showing her, eventually stopping at the edge of a large hole. Peering down, she saw nothing but golden flowers and darkness.

Something was telling her not to go.

Another, stronger, something was telling her to go.

She decided to go with Option B. 

If there really were monsters down there, they would fight against the ones who came after her, even f they didn't know her. None of the people around her were Determined. They were all Bravery, and Bravery was easily vanquished.

Taking a few steps away from the hole, Nova frowned and stared into the darkness. She wasn't Determined, either. She was Persevering. Persevering SOULs were hard to kill, seeing as they just kept pushing forwards, but they were much less of a force than Determination. Determination was able to bring things to their end.

She could too, but on a far lesser scale.

Did that really matter now?

She shook her head, taking a couple steps forward until she was just on the edge again. Sending a glance back at the snow behind her, Nova let out a breath through her teeth and closed her eyes.

"Well then," she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Goodbye, Murdoch."

She leaned forwards and tumbled into darkness, her SOUL the only thing keeping her anchored to reality as time and space seemed to bend around her falling form.

She missed the whisper that curled around her ears.

Welcome to the Underground, my dear.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nova really starts forgetting to give a shit about anything.

She didn't expect to keep falling once she hit the flowers.

Apparently, the ground under them was dry and crumbly. As soon as Nova's weight fully hit it, the soil gave away, and she was sent free-falling once more. There was one notable difference this time.

She had fallen straight into a snow storm. 

Instinctively, she curled into a tight ball as she fell through the snow, attempting to conserve what little body heat she had left. Cold air stung her cheeks and arms, the bare flesh turning red. Tears were whipped from her closed, green eyes, freezing on her cheeks.

It hurt.

( ~~It wasn't nearly as bad as The Before though… she could live with this…~~ )

She hit the ground with too much force. Her spine popped, and a loud cracking sound signified that yes, her ribs were broken. Nova closed her eyes tighter, unable to stop the flood of hot tears that quickly turned to ice on her face. Freezing white settled around her, sending the chill further into her skin.

She was a coma-like state in a matter of seconds. 

Because of that, she didn't feel bony hands gently reaching under her and lifting her, or when magical warmth began to flood her body. She also missed the surprised murmurs that escaped a pristine white skull, when her bones immediately began to snap back into place with the assistance from the magical energy being poured into her.

There was a sigh before she was moved, carried by several hands.

-

Nova woke up with three separate blankets draped over her. One was brilliant cyan, one was pristine white with splotches of orange and blue, and another was orange. All of them were fleece and felt beyond nice on her skin. She stared at them for a moment, tense, before she looked around. ~~There was blue everywhere, but it wasn't the right shade. It didn't stop her from being nervous, though.~~

Her hair was wet, strings of brown dripping hair into her eyes. Her skin was similarly drenched, clothes sticking uncomfortably to her skin. Her boots were removed, placed at the edge of the bed she was lying on. A blazing fire -- magical, she noted as its heat sent crackles of energy across her skin -- burned in the corner, no fuel needed to sustain it.

The entire room seemed to be made of wood: the floors had wood paneling, the walls were solid oak from what she could tell and the dressers and chairs made of wood as well. Whoever had made the fire must've had complete control over the fire to be placing such flammable material for the casing of the room. 

Blue and orange seemed to be a recurring theme for the room, judging from the blankets and carpeting. It hurt her eyes to look at, so she decided to examine herself instead. Closing her eyes, she turned her focus inwards, tapping into her magic to drag her SOUL out.

Just like every time she looked at it, she couldn't help but flinch. It was the essence of her, so why did it feel so… fearful all the time? It was revolting, and she knew it, having that much weakness packed into one thing. It showed up in dark swirls against the upside-down, cartoonish heart shape that was her SOUL. Violet threads swirled around a glass-like core, wrapping around it so securely that the transparent parts could barely be seen. 

She bit back a frown as she stared at it. A long time ago, way before she became Theirs, before she became the demon she was now, the core was free, unafraid to show itself. But now, the few times when she unwound her strings, the core was filled with so many cracks and fissures that she couldn't bear to look at it for more than a few seconds. 

Pathetic.

Brushing a fingertip lightly against one of the darker purple sections of her SOUL, Nova closed her eyes and focused on the feedback thrown like a mess of tangled string into her mind. She slowly picked the information apart, freeing up the mass and sorting it out.

_Sprained ankle, sprained ankle, sprained wrist, fractured fourth and eighth ribs…_

Blinking, she averted her eyes from her SOUL and looked around the room again, this time with her magical sense activated.

Nova was alone in the room. Despite that, she could feel the magical signatures of three different monsters, two incredibly strong and one much weaker. The weaker signature didn't seem to come around often, judging by the lack of magical residue left. The other two, stronger signatures shone like beacons to her sense, making her pupils contracts with the sheer force of the magic. With her SOUL out, it was obnoxiously bright, to the point of being overwhelming. 

She began to hear footsteps coming from somewhere outside the room. Calling her SOUL back to her body, she looked down at the blankets and frowned. She could attempt to hide that she had woken up, but she hadn't taken the time to remember the exact position of the blankets of the way she was sleeping. It wouldn't fool anyone. She remained upright even as the door swung open, revealing a skeleton with two cracks running down his skull. They were wearing a bright blue sweater over an orange turtleneck, matching the dual colored eyelights that burned like stars in their sockets.

They parted their teeth and began speaking in static and screams, Nova flinch and almost clap her hands over her ears before her eyes widened. Tentatively, she raised her hands and began signing in one of her first languages, one that no one had ever really learned to speak because of its use of its otherworldly sounds.

[ _Are you… speaking WingDings?_ ] she asked silently, movements hesitant. The skeleton's eyes? eye sockets? eyelights? widened at her signing before he materialized two more hands in front of himself and signed in response.

[ **I am! How did you know that?** ] 

Nova smiled tentatively, the unfamiliar expression feeling strange on her face. The way he spoke her Inherent was telling her that he was male, so she didn't need to refer to him as "they" or "them" anymore. Good.

[ _It was one of my first languages,_ ] she replied, hands moving faster and faster as her apprehension faded. [ _It was my Inherent._ ]

The skeleton froze, eyelights shining bright before dying down to white pinpricks. Nova stared at him cautiously, tensed and ready to jump if she needed to be. It didn't matter if he was the one who had saved her, she was ready to run if he turned on her. Even if he spoke her Inherent.

Of course he would turn on her when he found out she was a mage. Mages had sealed monsters underground, after all. She was an idiot to think that there wouldn't be prejudice down here like there was on the surface. 

[ **You're a mage?** ] 

Ready to flee, Nova nodded, feeling her magic wrap around her wrists, ready to restrict if needed. The heat from it seared red lines into her skin, but she knew that she would be fine. Her own magic couldn't hurt her for too long.

[ _Part mage, yes._ ]

She would not be caught off guard.

[ **…interesting.** ]

Wait, what?

[ **I haven't seen a mage fall in my lifespan,** ] continued the skeleton, seemingly oblivious to her internal floundering. [ **I would've thought they'd stay away from the mountain. The magical energy that monsters create is typically enough to ward off mages.** ] 

He peered down at her small figure, noticing her confusion. 

[ **Did you think I'd attack you for being a mage?** ]

Nova's eyes darkened as she looked away. Her hands remained by her sides as her light green eyes gazed off beyond the skeleton. 

[ **…you did.** ]

There was a brief beat of silence as the skeleton observed Nova before looking down.

[ **While I had fun talking, I'm afraid that you're currently hurt. Please hold still.** ]

Nova raised an eyebrow at the skeleton, brought back to the present happenings. He walked around until he was directly behind her, making her posture tense slightly. 

**"Please calm yourself. I am simply healing you."**

The woman felt her muscles go slack, all tension draining. Her eyes widened, head jerking around in alarm.

He was a purple SOUL too?! 

The skeleton raised his hands in a placating gesture, revealing the lack of strings wrapped around his phalanges. 

**"Do you hold a purple SOUL as well, mage?"**

Nova stared, narrowed eyes unblinking as they watched the bony monster. Her hands lifted, signing a quick sentence.

[ _My name is Nova._ ]

There was a short period of silence as the skeleton watched her. Nova began to feel panic welling up in her. _I shouldn't have done that, he's going to hurt me, I'm an idiot--_

**"Nova, allow me to heal you."**

What?

The brunette waited another few moments before relaxing all the tension in her body, a clear sign that she would allow herself to be healed. She heard a small sigh of relief from the skeleton as he moved behind her, handling her slumped form with gentle hands.

The last thing she felt was the warmth of the magical fire snapping across her skin.

-

_It was blue, blue blue blue and it wouldn't stop make it stop make it stop please, it was everywhere it was going through her mouth and she was screaming she couldn't stop screaming please please-_

_"You done, you little bitch?"_

_She couldn't answer, coughing and sputtering as it came falling out her mouth and nose and ears and hair and everything hurt, it was freezing--_

_"Please, I'm sorry, I won't do it again--"_

_"Guess not."_

_Then the blue was back and it hurt it hurt too much it hurt everywhere and she just wanted it to stop--_

-

She woke up.

Her breath came in small pants, fingers curling and uncurling on the fleece blankets. 

One.

She wasn't up there anymore.

Two.

They wouldn't find her down here.

Three.

…she needed to start moving again.

Slipping the covers off her dwarfish frame, Nova's feet hit the ground with a light thump. Like yesterday, all the pain was gone from her body -- the skeleton had kept to what he said he would. 

It was foolish of her to trust him like that yesterday. He had given her very little reason to trust him. All he had done was bring her here, to a place she wasn't even sure was safe, speak her Inherent, and then ask for her to relinquish control to him.

It could've gone disastrously. 

Now, though, she had no choice but to trust him. Not only did he manage to convince her to relinquish control, he hadn't abused it, only healed her.

That was something she couldn't let go.

Looking around the room, she noted that the blue content of the room had been significantly reduced, and the blankets covering her were only white and orange.

How had he--

…the skeleton was observant.

She would keep that in mind.

"Oh, you're awake! I didn't expect you to wake up for another few hours," said a distinctly British voice. Nova's brows shot up. That was… unexpected. Turning her head, she caught sight of a flame elemental with the silliest glasses she had seen on anyone. Vaguely, she wondered how the hell the elemental saw anything, but dropped the question. 

It was probably magic, just like the skeleton.

"Wingdin told me that you sign instead of speak, which is something that I can't really understand, so I'll just give you some food and company if you want." Wingdin. That must've been the skeleton's name. There was a rustle as the elemental moved over to her with quick steps, carrying a teapot and two teacups.

"First though, have some tea!" Nova stared in bewilderment as a teacup was gently shoved into her hands, the elemental settling into an armchair near the bed she rested on. His legs were crossed over each other as he took a sip of tea from his own cup… that she hadn't seen him fill with tea…

"It's good, I promise," said the elemental. Nova blinked at him before lifting the cup to her lips.

What the hell, her life was crazy anyway. 

She would just enjoy the time she had left.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nova proves that Persevering SOULs can be suspicious too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is absolutely shit, and I accept all hate for that, but I had to get something out.
> 
> Whoops. I need to add Grillster to the tags, even if Gaster doesn't go by Gaster in this.
> 
> -Kloe

It took a while, but Nova finally saw the elemen-- Grillby, she reminded herself, leave the room. It was almost a shame: the way he brightened the room was something she would miss. The warmth that came from his presence was also something valuable.

It was too bad her powers didn't come with the warmth of a Kind SOUL, or she would have been safer for where she planned to go.

Slipping her feet out of the bed, Nova stood on the white carpet without a sound, using a technique she had worked on for months on end to make the movements completely silent. ~~It unnerved people when she made absolutely no sound as she moved, not even the brush of cloth against cloth was heard, and it was easier to get what she wanted from unnerved people.~~ Her fingers closed around the fleece blankets that were covering her form. She would need them to keep warm. The cold would be the death of her if she didn't have any protection.

Her lips twitched upwards into a sardonic smirk as she gently folded the blankets in her arms.

They'd also make a pretty good noose if she needed, and she'd have many places to tie it to, what with all the trees that she brushed on the way down. 

She was Perseverance, and she would push through what was thrown at her with all the strength in her SOUL and body.

By the time Wingdin came back, the window to the guest room was open, the door had been stitched to the frame by violet strings and Grillby was panicking in the living room, a tray of coffee spilled all over the brand-new white carpet.

-

The longer she stayed, the more dependent she would be on the two monsters. They would leave her on her own as soon as she became completely dependent, and she would be killed in the cold cruel reality of it.

She didn't buy that monsters were made of compassion and love, not for a second.

After all, the way she was, that couldn't really be right, could it?

She stared down at the snow, the white expanse almost comforting in its stark bleakness. Her hands were trembling from the amount of magic she had used in such a short time. Nova's magic was exhausted, both from healing her and helping her yank the trees around her into place.

It wasn't the first time she had made a tree fort like this, she mused, staring at the ground far beneath her feet. Branches twisted together underneath her, forming a sturdy floor. Above her, branches wove together to prevent the snow from falling onto her. It wasn't the best she could do -- there were still a few flakes falling through gaps in the ceiling and the entire structure was far too obvious to anyone who even attempted to look.

Still, it was the best she had.

Absently, Nova tugged at the cloth of her shirt, pulling the ragged sleeves down over her arms. She wasn't sure whether the monsters had seen the circles that decorated them; it was likely that they had when they were searching for injuries. 

Her marks were those of love, dammit.

Hessian cared about her. Just like everyone else in the group. That's why she was such a useless fuck-up, running like she did. Hell, did she even think about what they would feel? Oh course not, because she was so… useless. So pathetic, she forgot to prioritize Hessian and the gang over herself.

Nova dragged a hand down her face, eyes shut and fingers shaking. The cold was burning her bare skin, seeping through the clothes that were most definitely not enough to protect her from the snow. 

Hessian was likely looking for her now. She knew that Murdoch would never tell him that she fell into Mount Ebott, so he would just constantly look for her. She could picture his face, twisted with the emotions he kept specially for her… 

She didn't deserve him.

A white puff of air escaped her teeth as she brooded, tears springing to her eyes only to be wiped away before they froze to her cheeks. If they froze, tears were an absolute bitch to remove. 

Kinda like her.

…she missed Murdoch the most.

Even though he was an assassin, he was good at helping her. When Hessian went too far in showing his love, Murdoch would be there with his chains wrapped around his waist like a belt and his beautiful lilac magic glimmering on his fingertips, ready to bind her flesh back together. Even though he knew she was better at healing herself than he was, what with her job in their group, he would feed her his residual magic so that she had more than enough to stitch herself back together. Sometimes, he let her come out to his spots, even knowing she snuck out.

She was wrong to miss Murdoch more than Hessian.

She really was an ungrateful slut.

Nova sighed again, shaking her head and turning around to view the inside of the small space she had woven with her magic and the trees in this strange forest. It was about the size of a cell typical bedroom, only without the things that usually went in there. The only "bed" was the pile of fleece blankets she had stolen from the two monsters, the white and orange brightening the space. Other than that, there was nothing.

Nothing was better than losing.

Curling her hands into fists, Nova smacked herself and shook her head roughly. She was going to sleep now, and thoughts like that couldn't be good for her sleeping.

-

"Dings, I don't know what happened!" was the first thing the skeleton heard when he walked through the door. His eyebones shot up as the flame elemental barreled into him, flames flickering from red to blue to white in his distress. The skeleton was silently thankful for his fireproof clothing as the heat soaked through his bones, making him wince.

**"Sh, calm down, it's alright,"** soothed the other monster, wrapping his arms around the panicking elemental. Grillby's swirl glasses had been knocked to the floor at the force of the collision, something which never happened. He usually had enough control over her magic to create an adhesive that connected the glasses to his face.

If he didn't have control of his magic…

Something clicked in his brain, and he knew what happened before his partner said a word.

"The girl's gone and there's magic blocking the door," whispered Grillby, flames shooting upwards in his sobbing state. Wingdin frowned.

…well, with the way the girl had been looking at him, it wasn't entirely unexpected. Her magic had felt like a caged animal, wary and ready to bite at any moment. 

It was lucky that she didn't feel cornered enough to snap at them. Then… then he would do nothing. He would do nothing until she hurt everyone he loved. That would prove she's a sadistic child, and he could kill her.

Shaking his skull, Wingdin looked down at his lover with a fond gaze. His eyelights were shimmering white as he radiated calm from his SOUL in a pattern that he knew soothed the other monster. 

< **"It's not your fault. Don't worry."**

He'd catch up with the girl eventually.

But now, his mate came first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.
> 
> By now, you've noticed that Gaster is referred to as Wingdin. It's just that Gaster is his last name, and I felt that the US version of him wouldn't go by that, seeing as he's less closed off now.
> 
> -Kloe

**Author's Note:**

> So… how'd you like it?
> 
> If you actually liked it, you can find the Underfell version on Wattpad. I have the same username (heartforhire), and… yeah. That's about everything I have to say.
> 
> -Kloe


End file.
